


Junai Lens!

by paralogism



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Comedy, F/F, Lots of song references, Romance, Spiritual Power, in roughly that order, magical realism i guess?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-03 23:00:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11542215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paralogism/pseuds/paralogism
Summary: Nozomi has spiritual powers and is meddlesome, Eli has a headache as she gets dragged along helping her and everyone manages to fall in love. Eventually. Sure, one budding couple tries Nozomi’s patience, but that’s par for the course, really.





	Junai Lens!

**Author's Note:**

> This story is wayyyy different from how I envisioned it months ago - but in a better way, I think. That said, it felt like a struggle to get through this at the end after breezing along at the start (possibly because the chapter length of this one is at least twice of what I was expecting...)

## Introduction

Nozomi must have had a rough day.

That was how it seemed to Eli, seeing her slumped over Eli’s sofa with a glum, defeated expression on her face. It was striking – Nozomi had _never_ made a look like that before, just as she had never called Eli so late at night. It just wasn’t in Nozomi’s character, always having a permanent, contented smile; always so cheerful about absolutely everything. Although she might’ve been a little too grab-happy with her friends chests, but that wasn’t Eli’s concern right now.

Eli hated seeing Nozomi look so depressed. So instead, she had hugged her gently in the doorway, before easing her onto the couch and laying a comforting arm around her shoulder for a few minutes, before deciding Nozomi could use some tea.

Eli returned from the kitchen with a tray of green tea, along with some assorted chocolates and shortbread. All of Nozomi's favourites. Although some of the chocolates Eli laid out might have been for herself, as she placed the tray upon the coffee table before sitting and carefully snuggling next to Nozomi on the couch.

‘Thank you, Elicchi,’ Nozomi said, her voice quiet.

‘It's fine,’ Eli replied, smiling as she reached out to squeeze Nozomi’s hand. ‘Anything for you, Nozomi.’

‘Elicchi…’

Sniffling, Nozomi squeezed Eli’s hand back before reaching her other hand across to the tray and grasping a cup, blowing the steam off the top before taking a large gulp. To Eli’s relief, Nozomi gave a contented sigh as she eased back into the sofa afterwards, resting her head against Eli’s shoulder.

Eli decided then to bite the bullet. Hopefully Nozomi was up for getting things off her more than ample chest. ‘Nozomi? Is something the matter?’

She had suspected the answer, but it was confirmed anyway when Nozomi’s response was to groan and recline further against Eli’s body. Eli quickly began to feel another rush of sympathy for the other girl. Had she been too pushy in asking?

‘Sorry, you don’t have to talk about it if-‘

Nozomi half-smiled as she placed a finger to Eli’s lips. ‘It’s fine, Elicchi. I’ll tell you.’

Eli gave a small nod and another inviting smile of her own – code for “take all the time you need, Nozomi”.

Nozomi took a deep breath and cast her eyes downwards before finally answering. ‘I just can't take it anymore, Elicchi,’ she admitted. ‘They're really starting to get to me.’

‘They?’ questioned Eli.

‘It's just too much,’ Nozomi continued, now clutching her hands to her face. ‘I just… I just…’

Anger coursed through Eli as she placed protective arms around her girlfriend. As far as she was concerned, there could be no justification for making her precious Nozomi feel so down on herself.

‘Alright,’ Eli decided, her ice-blue eyes becoming firm. ‘Tell me who did this to you and I'll take care of them.’

Nozomi shook her head and remained silent, despite Eli’s encouragement. Even after all that, it still seemed difficult for her to name the culprit, probably afraid of what Ayase-style retribution might look like for her wrongdoer. It was only after Eli softened and instead sent over a long, pleading look that Nozomi finally gave in and whispered.

‘It’s Nicocchi.’

Eli was stunned. ‘Nico?’

But Nozomi wasn’t finished. ‘And Maki-chan.’

‘Nico and Maki?’ Eli exclaimed. It was a shock, having her two good friends being named as Nozomi’s tormentors. But that shock was soon replaced by realisation. ‘Ah. I get it,’ said Eli, coming to a conclusion of her own. ‘Something happened again, didn't it?’

Nozomi nodded weakly. ‘You know that new cake store that opened up recently?’ Eli nodded, so Nozomi continued. ‘Well, I gave them a shared coupon there that I just happened to have. It was the _perfect_ opportunity for them.’

Eli could see where this was going, but she asked anyway. ‘How did it end up?’

‘They ended up shoving cake into each other's faces. Literally. They got kicked out of the café for disturbing everyone. I just don’t understand it at all, Elicchi,’ Nozomi whined.

At the sound Nozomi made, Eli took even more notice - whining Nozomi didn't appear very often, and it wasn't a sound Eli liked to hear her girlfriend make outside of the bedroom.

‘I'm exhausted as well,’ said Nozomi, now letting her complaints flow freely. ‘I used up all my energy the past few weeks and it's done _nothing_. None of the others were like this.’ She turned her face desperately to meet Eli’s. ‘Are the spirits leaving me now? Just like my parents?’

Eli again wrapped her arm around Nozomi’s shoulders. ‘I’m sure the spirits would never leave you,’ she reassured her.

Nozomi had tried everything she could for those two – she had worshipped some shady gods, performed some rituals she _really_ wasn’t proud of and sent her spiritual blessings to them every time their back was turned. But it hadn’t been enough, when it had been for everyone else she had turned her attention to.

Some people in this world might have called it pointless mumbo-jumbo. But Nozomi knew better – the power of the spirits was real, and there was living proof of this all around her. So rather than being a mere annoyance, the fact that Nico and Maki only seemed to be arguing even more now was closer to a full-blown identity crisis for Nozomi.

Eli’s attention was then suddenly drawn as Nozomi stood up, prompting Eli to let go of holding her.

‘Hey Elicchi, do you mind if I go through your pantry?’

‘Of course I don't mind,’ replied Eli. ‘But what are you planning to cook at three o'clock in the morning?’

Nozomi shook her head. ‘Not cook. Drink.’

‘I'm afraid I still don't understand,’ said Eli, now even more baffled.

‘Elicchi, I came over for the same reason why anyone visits their Russian girlfriend when they're feeling down,’ said Nozomi, as she simply kept strolling into Eli’s kitchen before opening up some cabinets. ‘To drown their sorrows with vodka.’

Eli groaned. So that’s what Nozomi was after. Thankfully for her, despite the sounds of cupboards being opened and closed coming across from the kitchen, Nozomi was still yet to find the liquor cabinet, and it was locked anyway.

Wait a moment.

It _was_ locked, right? From when her parents visited a few months ago?

Now unsure herself, Eli decided that the blankets could wait – she’d first check the drawer of her parent’s room for the cabinet’s key. She was stopped as she began making her way there, however, by a groggy looking Alisa who stood at the top of the staircase, wondering what the commotion was about. ‘Onee-chan?’ she asked, yawning at the end. ‘Is Nozomi-san alright?’

‘Don't worry, Alisa,’ said Eli, placing a hand onto her sister’s shoulder. ‘Nozomi is completely-‘

‘Aha!’ came Nozomi’s muffled shout from downstairs, as the sounds of rummaging now stopped completely. ‘I knew you'd have the good stuff, Elicchi!’

Eli grimaced. ‘-not fine at all.’

Breathing a Russian swear under her breath, Eli made a mental note to do a better job of hiding her parents’ liquor as she sprinted back down the stairs and into the kitchen to wrestle a bottle of Stolichnaya from Nozomi's hands, holding it above herself and out of Nozomi’s shorter reach.

‘Awww,’ Nozomi returned to whining, ‘no fair, Elicchi!’

* * *

 

## KotoUmi – Everything is shameless! or Spicaterrible!

It had started out with parfaits, as did most of the afternoons that Nozomi spent with Eli. But unlike most of those sugar filled afternoons, the two ended up stumbling upon an interesting sight after exiting the café and walking over to the local shopping district.

Arms linked together as they made their way downtown, a glimpse of deep blue and light ash in the corner of her eye caused Nozomi to stop and turn. There really was no mistaking the sight.

It was Kotori and Umi, of course, sat beside each other on a park bench with their backs turned to the other pair. Dragging Eli by the hand, Nozomi went in for a closer view of the action. From a convenient blind spot, they observed a normal looking Umi, contrasted by a decidedly nervous Kotori, who didn’t meet Umi’s eyes as she blushed and fidgeted in her seat.

‘So,’ Kotori began, hesitating, ‘was this a fun afternoon, Umi-chan?’

‘Of course,’ said Umi, grinning at Kotori. ‘I always enjoy spending time with you, Kotori.’

Kotori looked like she had just won the lottery. ‘Umi-chan!’

‘After all,’ Umi concluded happily, ‘you’re my closest, childhood friend.’

Kotori looked like her lottery winnings had just been burnt in a fire. ‘U-Umi-chan…’

Glancing down at her wristwatch, Umi stood up from her seat. ‘Sorry, I have dojo practice to attend now. See you next time, Kotori,’ she said, giving Kotori a fond wave goodbye as she exited.

‘Yeah.’ Kotori didn’t match Umi’s enthusiasm, not bothering to look up as she waved back. ‘See you, Umi-chan…’ To her credit, she was able to make it until Umi was completely out of sight before rolling her head back on the bench and groaning to herself. ‘Umi-chan… Why are you making this so difficult for me?’

‘What’s difficult?’

An undignified ‘eeep!’ was given as Kotori squealed and turned around, facing the unexpected conversation starter. ‘N-Nozomi-chan? And Eli-chan?’ she squeaked out, having noticed the other girl as well. ‘Did you hear all of that?’

‘Sorry,’ said Nozomi. 'I didn’t mean to.’

(That was a complete and utter lie.)

‘But if I had to guess,’ Nozomi continued, completely unabashed, ‘it looked almost like you were trying to be romantic with Umi-chan!’

‘Oh,’ said Kotori as her frown turned deep and gloomy. ‘So I guess that means you’ve discovered my secret, then. I’m in love with Umi-chan.’

‘That’s fine, isn't it?’ asked Eli, smiling at Kotori kindly. ‘Umi’s a wonderful person.’

Kotori’s expression was more dubious. ‘Well, it would be fine, but…’

Nozomi leaned in curiously. ‘But what, Kotori-chan?’

‘But everything is “shameless” to her, apparently!’   

Having shouted loud enough to surprise herself, Nozomi, Eli and even a few passers-by, Kotori brought a hand over her mouth in embarrassment, muffling herself as she said ‘Sorry.’

‘It’s fine,’ said Nozomi, waving her hand dismissively. ‘But what do you mean by _everything_ , Kotori-chan? Something like a romantic kiss in the park?’

‘That’s “shameless”, according to Umi-chan,’ replied Kotori.

‘Holding hands as you walk?’ Eli asked.

‘Shameless,’ Kotori answered straight away.

Nozomi tilted her head, hand on her chin. ‘Looking at each other fondly?’

‘Also shameless.’

Eli raised an eyebrow. ‘Accidentally sharing a drink?

‘Shameless,’ said Kotori, getting rather used to the word.

‘But it was an _accident_ ,’ clarified Eli.

‘Doesn't matter to Umi-chan.’

‘How about just walking too close beside each other?’

Kotori buried her head in her hands. ‘ _Shameless_.’

Nozomi let out a whistle. ‘Okay, I think I get the picture.’

‘That’s what makes things difficult with Umi-chan,’ continued Kotori. ‘I want to do all those things that Umi-chan calls “ _shameless!”_. I want to ask her to be my girlfriend. But if all those things are shameless…’ Kotori’s voice dropped and her expression turned pensive, ‘then how would she react to having another girl confess their feelings to her? Umi-chan’s the traditional sort of girl, y’know? I'm not sure something like that would ever cross her mind. So if I ask her suddenly, she might just think I’m weird…’

Eli placed a supportive hand to Kotori’s shoulder. ‘Umi’s already received plenty of love letters from girls at our school, right?’

‘Well, yeah,’ Kotori replied, ‘but she doesn’t get what they mean at all! She misinterprets them and thinks they all just want to be her friend or something! And she didn’t get what _this_ meant as well, either: me inviting her to a fun afternoon with just the two of us.’

‘So she’s dense as well,’ said Eli, sighing.

‘As oblivious as the male protagonist in your usual romantic comedy,’ Nozomi observed.

‘But Umi-chan is far more handsome than any guy!’ Kotori cried out.

‘Fine then,’ said Nozomi. ‘Just imagine Umi in a tuxedo or something, as if she were in the Love Wing Bell costumes you made back then.’

So Kotori imagined. That tall, graceful, upright posture which Umi had, that refined smile, that slender frame with just the right muscle tone across her arms and lower torso giving a low whisper of ‘ _Ojou-sama_ ’ right beside Kotori’s ear...

Her nosebleed was inevitable and voluminous.

‘Kotori?!’ Eli yelped in surprise. ‘Are you okay?’

Kotori simply reached into her purse with a quick movement and retrieved a handkerchief. ‘Sorry,’ she said, her voice muffled now from pinching her nose shut. ‘So because Umi-chan is really dense, it’s really hard to tell her how I feel. Not to mention that she might just think it’s shameless in the first place.’

‘Aww.’ Eli and Nozomi cooed in unison, both exchanging a look of sympathy with Kotori. It was soon followed by Nozomi turning sideways to wink at Eli, who winked back in response. The exchange was beginning to feel very odd to Kotori. But she couldn't quite put a name to what she felt. If she had to guess, though, it gave her the kind of impression that an important plot point was about to be uncovered, or something.

‘Let me show you something, Kotori-chan,’ said Nozomi, conveniently on cue.

Kotori watched in confusion as Nozomi drew a step backwards and retrieved her tarot deck from her handbag. ‘Um, Nozomi-chan, what are you doing?’

‘Just an impromptu reading,’ Nozomi replied off-handedly. ‘Tell me something first though. Do you believe in the power of spirits?’

‘I do!’ Kotori chirped, an excited smile now gracing her. ‘That’s why I always pray at the shrine. _Myojin-sama_ has always been good to me.’

‘That’s wonderful,’ Nozomi replied sincerely, as she drew the top card for herself to see. ‘Ooh, that's a fun card!’

Kotori’s interest was piqued. ‘What is it?’

Turning the card to face Kotori, Nozomi smirked. ‘The Lovers, of course. Though really, why would I be surprised? I guess there really is no helping this, then.’ Now drawing in a deep breath, Nozomi closed her eyes and placed both arms by her sides. She looked serene, like a buddha, before her mouth opened once again.

‘ _Nozomi power, tappuri chunyuu!’_

Nozomi brought a hand up from her side, pointing at Kotori with her fingers in a gun shape. In a split-second, a heart-shape, coloured purple, formed around her fingers before shooting itself towards Kotori and impacting into her chest, left-of-centre.

Kotori looked down at where the strange energy had struck, then back up at Nozomi in a double-take, her eyebrows knitted together like stitching of a tapestry. But as soon as she opened her mouth to question it, Nozomi held up a finger to shush her.

‘Wait for it...’

On cue, a stream of particles, now kaleidoscopic in colour, languidly drifted outward from Kotori’s body, and began to put themselves together like bits of a puzzle. To Kotori, it looked as if a vivid watercolour painting had fizzled in from thin air, and now floated a few feet in front of Kotori’s face. The scent of flowers tinged the air.

Awestruck, Kotori gasped at the surreal scene. ‘Nozomi-chan, what is this?!’

‘Just some spiritual magic,’ Nozomi replied. ‘A spell to bring your heart and feelings into focus. Simply put, it’s your _junai lens_!’

Kotori’s awe turned into something more questioning. ‘That name’s a bit embarrassing, don’t you think?’

‘I think it’s cute!’ Nozomi retorted, crossing her arms in a huff.

‘Maybe you should actually explain to Kotori what a _junai lens_ is first,’ said Eli, looking rather unimpressed with her girlfriend.

‘Oh. Right. Good idea, Elicchi.’ Nozomi coughed twice into her fist before beginning her explanation.

‘When you fall in love with a person, it feels special, doesn’t it? It’s like that person is the centre of your world; they’re all that you can think about. When that happens, a _junai lens_ crystallises in your heart, protecting the feelings you have for that person. The feeling of pure, heart-throbbing love. In this case, the love you have for Umi-chan. And because I’m spiritual, I can see your lens, just like I showed you!’

‘Wow…’ whispered Kotori, amazement shining in her eyes. ‘That’s incredible, Nozomi-chan!’

‘I know, right?’ said Nozomi, very chuffed with herself.

Eli just rolled her eyes. ‘Very modest, Nozomi.’  

‘Shush, Elicchi.’ Nozomi’s soft expression returned as she faced Kotori again. ‘I can only show it to the person with their own _lens_ , though. Oh, and Elicchi, too, but she’s a special exception.’

‘So only the three of us can see this right now?’ asked Kotori.

‘Correct,’ said Eli. ‘Yours looks quite lovely, by the way.’

‘So basically,’ Nozomi concluded, as Kotori blushed from the weirdest compliment she’d ever been given, ‘everyone who’s fallen in love has a _junai lens_. And this one is yours, Kotori-chan. What do you make of it?’

‘It looks like… a garden of blue and white flowers? No, wait.’ Kotori squinted, scrutinizing the floating image more closely. ‘Anemones?’

Nozomi hummed to herself. ‘Interesting reaction…’

‘If I remember correctly,’ said Eli, placing a hand to her chin in thought, ‘white anemones symbolise sincerity. It's _hanakotoba_.’

‘Well then,’ Nozomi said, with an air as if that had settled everything. ‘To the sincere Kotori-chan struggling with her feelings, I’ll lend some of my spiritual power. _Hai, pushuu!_ ’

With her fingers again pointed back at Kotori, the suspended image dissolved into a concentrated white stream before rushing back into Kotori’s body. An invigorating glow radiated and pulsed around her, and she felt the flowery scent further in her nostrils now. Again, Kotori felt a strange sort of embarrassment to have to send another confused glance at Nozomi, who answered her unasked question with another wink.

‘It’s a spiritual blessing, Kotori-chan. You deserve it, and actually, you might _need_ it.’

‘With the lens in mind, we know that you’re swept up in your pure love for Umi-chan and okay, that is actually embarrassing to say out loud,’ Eli continued, as if reciting a memorised speech (the first part of her sentence, at least).

Nozomi took over. ‘That is to say, although the spirits have recognised and blessed your feelings like you just saw, there is no guarantee that your feelings will be returned. This isn't something that will magically make Umi-chan fall in love with you. The spirits wouldn't approve of that sort of attraction.’

‘Oh.’ That was all Kotori could say.

Noting Kotori’s look had gone from highly confused to the absolutely perplexed look one makes when they encounter a question on a test that they should've studied harder for, Eli sighed and decided to simplify. ‘Basically, you still need to make Umi fall in love with you, because this isn't a love potion story.’

‘Ah!’ Kotori chirruped. ‘I get it now!’

‘Great,’ said Eli, thankful for her quick summarising skills learned from teaching μ’s three idiots. ‘So let’s go over things once more. You're in love with Umi, but you're worried about how Umi will react.’

‘And that's all because,’ Nozomi cheerfully added, ‘you’re worried that she thinks doing yuri stuff together is shameless!’

Eli rubbed at her forehead with second-hand embarrassment, feeling a headache coming on. Kotori also blushed once more before replying. ‘Essentially, yes.’

‘Okay, that’s settled then!’ Nozomi rubbed her hands together with glee. ‘This looks like just the job for me to meddle with, I mean, help your beautiful love blossom!

‘What Nozomi means to say,’ said an exasperated Eli, ‘is that we’re always here to help you, Kotori. That’s what friends are for. So, would you like us to help you out with confessing to Umi?’

‘Eli-chan, Nozomi-chan…’ Kotori looked between them both with glistening amber eyes, before bowing her head deeply. ‘I'll be in your care!’

‘Alright, then!’ said Nozomi. ‘I’ve got just the plan in mind!’

* * *

 

 _‘Basically,’_ Nozomi had said, ‘ _we just need desensitise Umi to shameless things!’_

To summarise, Nozomi’s grand theory was that if Umi thought everything was shameless, then they would simply wear her down by normalizing shameful displays in Umi’s life, so that they wouldn't be shameless anymore!

Eli was unconvinced of this plan for several reasons. And she was especially unconvinced of the method that Nozomi had chosen to execute that plan. But despite those misgivings, she just couldn't say no to her girlfriend – Nozomi had been beaming with happiness as she came up with her idea, and Eli was struck by a sudden onset of gay from how ethereal Nozomi's looked at that exact moment. So naturally, she found herself grinning and nodding along instead of saying, ‘Hey, wait, this is actually a bad idea and I don't think we should do this.’

So as Eli reached the hour of reckoning in the clubroom containing herself and seven other members of μ’s, she just sighed to herself, resigned to her girlfriend induced fate. She looked at the time on her phone.

3, 2, 1…

‘E~li~cchi!’

Slamming the clubroom door to gain everyone’s attention, and especially grabbing Nico’s ( _‘the Idol Research Club doesn’t have the funds to replace doors all the time, you know?!_ ), Nozomi waltzed towards a remarkably unsurprised looking Eli, placed both hands to Eli’s posterior and began the process of mining for gold with her tongue, on the assumption that such alluvial deposits were to be found somewhere in Eli’s mouth.

In response, Kotori gasped, Honoka fist-pumped, Hanayo squeaked before covering Rin’s pure, innocent eyes, Rin screamed about becoming blind, Maki blushed furiously because that's just what she always does and Nico made a noise of immense disgust but still watched them curiously. Everyone had some sort of reaction to the kiss.

Everyone except for Umi, that is.

Instead, she kept a strange, blank look on her face, devoid of any outward emotion. Being most interested in her reaction from the start, Eli and Nozomi eventually broke from their exceedingly long kiss to look at Umi with questioning, slightly flushed faces. It was then that Umi got to her feet with a brisk motion, said ‘Please excuse me,’ then walked through the clubroom door, with the others hearing her footsteps disappearing down the adjacent hallway.

Honoka was the first to react, hurriedly cramming her belongings from the table into her bag before bolting for the door.

‘Honoka-chan, where are you going?’ asked a confused Nozomi.

‘I really don’t like the vibe that Umi-chan is giving off,’ Honoka replied, face creased with worry as she turned around from the doorway. ‘I can tell, since I’ve gotten Umi-chan mad enough times before. This time her aura feels like… some kind of killing intent, maybe?’

Eli gulped.

‘I don’t feel anything like that from her,’ replied Nozomi, casually reclining her chair backwards. Of course, this was because she was supremely confident in her spiritual powers to spot such changes.

‘Okay then, your funeral!’ shouted Honoka, already having dashed out the door. Her footsteps sounded down the hallway, stopped, and headed back towards the clubroom as she poked her head in once more. ‘Oh, and Eli-chan’s too!’

‘Why me?!’ Eli yelled to Honoka, who had already sprinted off again and slammed the door shut behind her, much to Nico’s chagrin.

Feeling Eli’s newfound anxiety, Nozomi placed her hand over Eli’s with tender affection. ‘Don't worry,’ she said reassuringly. ‘Whatever happens, we’ll get through it together. Am I right?’

‘Nozomi…’ Eli’s eyes began to water up as she squeezed back. ‘You're right.’

The room fell silent as the door opened again. There stood Umi, with a grin on her face, a quiver of arrows strapped to her back and a traditional Japanese bow in her hands.

‘You’re more than welcome to try being shameless again,’ she said, still smiling as she addressed Eli and Nozomi. ‘I need some practice for my _love arrow shoot_.’

Eli and Nozomi decided against doing so, despite Umi’s encouragement. They were instead grasped by a sudden urge to get some exercise as they turned, jammed open the clubroom window and took a running vault through it.

Thank god all their idol practice paid off.

* * *

 

‘Okay,’ said Nozomi, slightly out of breath and hands still trembling from the earlier events that day. She, Eli and Kotori now sat together on a bench, shaded by the tree within the school’s sunlit courtyard. ‘We need a different plan, since I don’t think the desensitisation route is going to work out.’

‘It has to involve Kotori, then,’ replied Eli. Like Nozomi, she also a haunted, thousand-yard stare in her eyes. ‘At least Umi won’t threaten to shoot her with an arrow.’

‘I think Umi-chan was just joking with that,’ Kotori came to her crush’s defence, before having a second thought. ‘I mean, probably, anyway.’

Eli shook her head. ‘And when has Umi ever made a joke?’

‘Ummm…’ Kotori faltered and didn’t complete her sentence. ‘A-Anyway, what do you think I should do, then?’

‘I’ll leave it to Elicchi this time,’ said Nozomi, her default expression of coy smirk returning in an instant. ‘She’s the expert. Did you know that she’s always reading the love advice columns in those girly magazines?’

‘Really?!’ gasped Kotori, quickly placing both hands in front of her mouth to stifle herself from giggling.

‘Nozomi,’ Eli whined, ‘you're ruining the cool image everyone has of me.’

‘I think it's cute though!’ Nozomi protested with her arms folded in front of her.

‘Wait a second. If Eli’s the expert, then why did Nozomi come up with the first plan?’ asked Kotori, looking confused again.

‘I just really wanted to kiss Elicchi like that,’ replied Nozomi, shrugging.

‘So that’s it, huh?’ replied Kotori, downcast.

Eli chose to ignore Nozomi’s impure motives, as she instead came up with an idea to help Kotori. ‘Umi’s being dense to the subtle things you’re doing, right? So instead, try to convey your feelings in a way that she’ll understand.’

‘What do you mean?’ asked Kotori, tilting her head to one side like an owl.

‘Umi’s always writing our songs, and she likes poetry. So if you put all your feelings into writing, I'm sure she'll understand how you feel.’

‘Eli-chan!’ Kotori sparked again into a bright smile. ‘I’ll do my best!’

* * *

 

Hunched over the desk of the empty classroom, Kotori opened her notebook to a fresh page and tapped her pen against it a few times, thinking of where to start with her writing.

She was determined to repay Eli and Nozomi. They were busy helping Honoka out with her Student Council duties that afternoon, since Umi was leading extra archery practice for an upcoming tournament and practically strong-armed Kotori into having them act as her replacement as well, so she could focus on something they said was much more important.

It had all worked out well when she wrote _Wonder Zone_ , didn’t it? Okay, maybe it took her a few goes and a minor crisis of confidence back then – and Kotori only had _one_ song to deal with. Just another thing about Umi which amazed Kotori. Naturally, her thoughts wandered across to Umi herself.

Umi - A girl raised on tradition, just like Eli had said. A girl who could list kendo, calligraphy, archery and traditional dance as her hobbies.

So surely haikus would resonate with her soul – assuming Kotori could write something half-decent. But Kotori had pure love as her inspiration, and love always wins in the end! Well, except in those angsty stories.

And there’s a lot of angsty stories…

A-Anyway, with Umi as her muse, Kotori got to work, humming Printemps’ songs to herself as she placed pen to paper and worked herself into the (wonder) zone. Her pen glided effortlessly for the next twenty minutes, punctuated occasionally by her counting the number of syllables she had used on her fingers. After writing around 10 haikus straight in a concentrated flurry, Kotori decided to review her handiwork, flicking the notebook back to the first page she had written.

She wasn’t expecting anything as good as what Umi could produce. Umi really was amazing. But surely, with all the feelings she had within herself, she could turn them into at least one decent haiku, right?

Her eyes scanned over her first neatly written haiku:

> _Umi-chan smells nice_
> 
> _She’s just like the ocean breeze_
> 
> _I really like it._

‘Why am I talking about her smell?!’ shouted Kotori to the empty classroom. The classroom remained silent in response.

Tearing the paper from her notebook, she quickly turned it into a scrunched mess, before flinging it at the bin placed in the corner of the room. She missed by a good metre, but was too annoyed to go and pick it up as she instead went on to read the next haiku.

> _Umi-chan is cute_
> 
> _So I sometimes get nosebleeds_
> 
> _She’s ikemen, too._

Another piece of paper met its crumpled doom. ‘Even Honoka-chan could write better than this!’

It was then Kotori realised that, just maybe, going with her pure-love-for-Umi to try creating poetry wasn’t the best idea. And she definitely should have paid more attention to her writing in class. Hands shaking, she turned the page to look at what she predicted would not be a literary masterpiece.

> _Tonight, Umi-chan_
> 
> _Let’s visit a love hotel_
> 
> _I want to “Wild Stars”._

'Why?!' wailed Kotori, slamming her head onto the desk with a bang. ‘Why did I write this?! This is _actually_ shameless!’

She knew all along that she wouldn’t come close to what Umi could do. But this was just mortifying – words came out, but they never expressed what she had wanted them to do; she had gotten lost somewhere along the way, or maybe she had never been on the right track from the start.

Kotori tore all the remaining pages with writing on them out of her notebook, walked over to pick up the one she had tossed earlier, and slammed them all into the bin.

* * *

 

‘I see,’ was all Eli could say after Kotori related how badly her poetry writing had went in the Student Council room after.

‘Surely it can’t be that bad?’ Nozomi asked, a puzzled look on her face. ‘Just tell us some of what-‘

‘No!’ shouted Kotori, a profuse blush on her cheeks, ‘it really was that bad! It was spicaterrible!’

‘Well, maybe we could help fix it?’ Eli suggested.

Kotori shook her head so fast that it seemed to blur. ‘It needs fire to fix it!’

Nozomi looked torn. ‘Now I really want to see what you wrote…’

‘Well then, maybe we should just stick to what you’re good at,’ said Eli, trying to placate Kotori and deflect Nozomi at the same time. ‘How about keeping it simple and making some special treats, just for Umi? Dense as she is, she should be able to understand that much, and you’re good at cooking as well. It’s perfect.’

Nozomi clapped her hands together. ‘Ooh, nice idea, Elicchi!’

‘Eli-chan!’ Kotori sparked, receiving a second wind. ‘I’ll do my best! Again!’

* * *

 

Tying on her favourite blue apron in her kitchen, Kotori set about grabbing ingredients out of cupboards and utensils from their hiding places, all whilst singing happily to herself.

‘ _I know happy holiday, happy holiday…_ ’

To Kotori, cooking was a simple process – just take it one step at a time, follow the instructions and keep Honoka from eating them before they’re done. So while macarons aren’t the easiest treat to prepare, Kotori had made them enough times before to be confident in her ability as she set to work. And especially since Honoka wasn’t there to eat everything.

‘First, you preheat the oven… then triple sift the almond meal and icing sugar, whisk the egg whites in the blender… add some more sugar, beat it until shiny, transfer it to the almond meal and fold it all until smooth… Done!’

Kotori took the bowl into her hands to admire her handiwork. They looked great! Umi would surely be impressed with her domestic skills, and would say something like, ‘Kotori, I want to eat your cooking for the rest of my life. Please marry me.’

Or that’s what Kotori thought, as she spaced out with happy thoughts of Umi munching on her delicious treats. Her loosened grip on reality was unfortunately met with a loosened grip on her bowl, which slipped from her hands and headed towards the ground.

‘Ah!’

She caught it when it was halfway to the floor, and breathed a sigh of relief. She placed the bowl back onto the counter.

‘Now,’ she said with undaunted confidence, ‘add the food colouring to each batch… then transfer them to the pastry bag… squeeze them onto the tray… done!’

Wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, Kotori looked upon her creation with a smile of satisfaction. ‘Now, time to add some decorations!’

Bustling away to grab some cream and jam for filling, Kotori left the tray for a moment. However, she had placed the tray with a corner protruding from the benchtop, and accidentally knocked it with her hip as she returned, leading to the entire tray falling towards the ground again. She needed all her reflexes to avert disaster, diving to catch the tray an inch from the ground.

Cooking is the process of combining ingredients, but that requires the ingredients to survive until the end.

Hands trembling, the now decorated rainbow macarons managed to remain on the tray as she placed them into the oven, closed the door, and then hurried out of the kitchen before anything else could even think about going wrong.

She settled into the living room couch, tired but satisfied. And not for the first time that day, she drifted back into happy Umi thoughts as she thought about who she was doing all this work for in the first place.

‘You’re always working so hard, Umi-chan…’

She placed a hand over her mouth and stifled a yawn. The macarons still needed a good half-an-hour of baking. It was the ideal time for her to rest her eyes, as she reached for the blanket, placed a pillow beneath her head and relaxed, still musing to herself about her favourite blue-haired girl.

* * *

Loud beeping woke Kotori from her rest on the couch.

‘I must’ve dozed off…’ she said, yawning as she picked up her phone and flicked the screen. ‘But I didn’t set an alarm?’

Kotori glanced around in confusion as her senses began to return bit by bit. Something just didn’t smell right – as in, _literally_ didn’t smell right.

‘What is that…?’ Kotori sniffed the air a few times before her voice jumped an octave in panic. ‘Is that _burning_?!’

Now well and truly awake, Kotori jumped off the sofa and sprinted into the kitchen, greeted by a cloud of smoke which began to pool around oven’s general vicinity. Frantic, she opened the oven door, and coughed as more black smoke emerged from the source of Kotori’s troubles. She made a despairing wail.

‘No, I forgot to set the timer!’

Defeated, she shut off the oven before slumping down onto the kitchen floor, clutching her cute oven mitts to her face.

‘Why is all this happening to me?’

* * *

‘Well,’ Nozomi said, turning the charred confection between her fingers with sympathy, ‘it’s certainly been cooked, at least.’

Eli placed a gentle hand to Kotori’s shoulder. ‘They look kind of like Oreos.’

‘But they were meant to be _rainbow_ ,’ Kotori replied, wearing a glum frown and black circles beneath her eyes. Having made her way to the temple where Nozomi was finishing up her evening duties, Kotori stared at her feet, unwilling to make eye contact with the other two. ‘I’m sorry,’ she muttered.

‘What for?’ asked Nozomi, puzzled.

‘I keep messing up, even when you’re helping me so much.’ Kotori bowed her head deeply, arms at her side. ‘I’m really sorry.’

Eli eased Kotori back upright. ‘Don’t worry, Kotori. We know that you’re doing your best.’

‘But then why isn’t it good enough?!’

Taking a stunned step backwards from the outburst, Eli could _feel_ something begin to change within Kotori. Nozomi, for the first time in a long while, was at a complete loss for words as she also watched Kotori, mouth agape.

Her hands curled into tight fists and trembled by her side.

For the first time either of them had seen, Kotori’s patience had run out.

A gale blew. Nozomi and Eli braced themselves against the sudden wind, squinting at Kotori as their eyes stung and the sky became overcast. At the centre of it all, Kotori’s long ash-coloured hair flapped upwards. Her eyes became dull, and her figure looked like it was shrouded by a black outline coursing around her body.

Nozomi gasped in horror. ‘Don’t tell me…!’ Frantically pointing her fingers at Kotori, she shouted the requisite charm.

‘ _Nozomi power, tappuri chunyuu!’_

Like before, a stream of particles slowly floated out of Kotori’s heart. But instead of dancing through the air, it was as if they were forcing their way upstream a river of treacle. The second, more noticeable thing was that they were all coloured ebony black. And instead of assembling into the garden of white and blue, they now formed a murky tempest too hazy to see through.

‘I knew it,’ Nozomi shouted out in panic as she saw the outcome. ‘Kotori-chan, your lens is getting corrupted! The spirits are going haywire!’ Worried about being drowned out by the wind, Nozomi cupped her hands around her mouth to project her voice into the tornado. ‘Kotori-chan, listen to me! you need to calm down and remember your original feelings!’

But Kotori was either unwilling or unable to listen to the other girl. Darkness now shadowed the top half of her face, as a flurry of leaves and small rubbish kicked up and hurtled through the shrine.

‘No other choice.’ Nozomi grit her teeth. ‘ _Hai… pushuu!’_

The aura circulating around Kotori made for Nozomi like a spear of tar, and she cried out in pain as they pierced into her upper chest. The dark substance began to drain into her body. All Eli could do was watch, hand placed in front of her open mouth as Nozomi bore the strain of Kotori’s negative energy, her knees buckling as she struggled to remain upright.

Instead, it was Kotori’s knees which gave out and slumped to meet the ground, as the opaque substance that had surrounded her now vanished, completely disappearing within Nozomi’s body.

‘What just happened…?’

Rubbing at her eyes and blinking, as if she had just woken up from a dream, the first thing Kotori noticed was a worried Eli tending to Nozomi, who was lying on the ground. ‘Nozomi-chan!’

Nozomi gingerly took Eli’s hand as she picked herself up off the ground. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said, giving Kotori a tired smile. ‘I’m fine. But there’s something more important that I need to check on.’

Nozomi gave her spell with no more than a whisper, and the same beautiful garden from before appeared. Kotori looked to Nozomi for an explanation.

‘Depression clouds everything it touches, even the dearest thoughts in your heart. So I used my energy to channel them out of your corrupted lens.’

‘Nozomi-chan…’ Kotori sniffled, then placed her hands to her eyes to try and plug the tears she now found leaking out. ‘This is my fault, isn’t it? I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!’

‘Silly Kotori-chan,’ Nozomi replied, gently scolding like a mother as she placed her arms around Kotori. ‘Having depressive thoughts isn’t your fault. Your reaction just happened to be so overwhelming because of how strong your feelings for Umi-chan are in the first place. But sadly, my cure is only temporary. Negative energy is more likely to build up again if you keep getting down on yourself. Something has to change soon, Kotori-chan.’

‘I know. In fact, I think I knew that all along.’ Kotori looked up with a soft, bittersweet grin. ‘I just have to tell her, don’t I? Because I’m just thinking of Umi-chan, Umi-chan, _Umi-chan_ all the time, I can’t concentrate or do anything right. And nothing will change if I only wish for things. But still, I… I don’t know if I’m…’

‘You don’t have to be ready right away,’ said Nozomi, rubbing a gentle circle into Kotori’s back. ‘Just tell us when you are.’

Hugging her close for support, Kotori found that Nozomi was warm and soft against the descending evening cold. ‘Okay.’

A few quiet minutes later, Kotori waved her goodbye, her eyes still a little puffy around the edges.

Nozomi waved back, felt herself become faint, and began to fall towards the ground. Eli caught her before she could meet the pavement.

‘Nozomi,’ she asked, concerned, ‘are you really okay?’

‘Yeah,’ she replied, voice faint. ‘Just a little tired is all. I might’ve used a bit too much energy this time.’

Propping an arm beneath Nozomi’s armpit to steady her, Eli hoisted the other girl to her feet and began walking. ‘Come on, I’ll take you home.’

Nozomi gave a weak smile as she leaned against Eli’s shoulder for support, still finding enough strength to teasingly whisper. ‘How forward of you, Elicchi…’

Eli couldn’t help but groan.

* * *

 

A certain Skype chat seen via Eli’s phone, D-Day minus one:

> (・８・): eli-chan, nozomi-chan
> 
> (・８・): i did a lot of thinking
> 
> (・８・): and i think… i’m finally ready now
> 
> (・８・): i know that no matter what happens, Umi-chan and i will always be best friends
> 
> (・８・): although I _would_ prefer to be her girlfriend, y’know?
> 
> Ayase Eli: That’s very mature of you, Kotori.
> 
> Ayase Eli: I’m impressed.
> 
> (・８・): eli-chan!
> 
> I’mspiritual69: soooo, tomorrow’s the big day, right?
> 
> (・８・): yes, ive got the whole afternoon planned with umi-chan
> 
> (・８・): im still really nervous though ((ﾟ□ﾟ;))
> 
> I'mspiritual69: that’s fine
> 
> I’mspiritual69: elicchi and i were thinking that we could meet up with you beforehand and make sure that you’re nice and settled before your date
> 
> (・８・): you’d do that for me?!
> 
> (・８・): thank you! (＾ω＾)
> 
> Ayase Eli: It’s no problem at all.
> 
> (・８・): it’s just…
> 
> (・８・): this’ll work out better than the other times right? ( ´△｀)
> 
> I’mspiritual69: of course!
> 
> Ayase Eli: Hopefully.
> 
> (・８・): well, i’ll be in your care, again
> 
> (・８・): i should rest up for tomorrow
> 
> (・８・): oyasumi! (︶｡︶✽)
> 
> Ayase Eli: Goodnight, Kotori.
> 
> Ayase Eli _:_ Oh, one last thing before I go to sleep as well.
> 
> Ayase Eli _:_ Nozomi _,_ can you please remove the 69 from the end of your username?
> 
> Ayase Eli: It’s incredibly juvenile.
> 
> I’mspiritual69: but it’s my birthdate, elicchi
> 
> Ayase Eli sighs deeply.
> 
> _I’mspiritual69: This message has been deleted._
> 
> Ayase Eli: Nozomi?
> 
> I’mspiritual69 _:_ wrong window, sorry
> 
> Ayase Eli: Oh, okay then.
> 
> Ayase Eli: Good night, Nozomi.
> 
> I’mspiritual69 _:_ night, elicchi!

* * *

 

Meanwhile, a certain Skype chat seen via Nozomi’s phone:

> I’mspiritual69 _:_ elicchi still doesn't realise you can set nicknames for people on skype lol
> 
> Cutie washboard _:_ loolllllll

* * *

 

In front of the bustling train station and its fountain, Nozomi stood in the middle of Eli and Kotori, placing her arms over their shoulders as she leaned them in for a three-person huddle.

Nozomi’s expression was deathly grim. ‘This is it, men.’

‘Men?’ Kotori asked, blinking in confusion.

‘She’s been watching too many war movies,’ said Eli.

‘My bad on the gendered language,’ apologised Nozomi, before moving to correct her error. ‘This is it. Hey, that actually works better!’

Eli’s palm met her face. ‘Nozomi.’

‘Right.’ Nozomi gave a cough to either clear her throat or to add to the dramatic tension of the scene. ‘Let’s start off by making sure we have everything we need. First off, do we have a Kotori?’

‘Present!’ Kotori replied cheerfully.

Eli brought a pen and clipboard from her handbag and ticked off a box on a piece of paper.

Nozomi moved onto the next item. ‘Cute outfit?’

Kotori looked down out of reflex. A modest and stylish grey dress (the former probably being more important to Umi).

Eli ticked once more. ‘Check.’

‘Cool sunglasses?’ Nozomi asked.

Eli reached into her handbag again, retrieving three sets of the pink, square-rimmed variety. ‘Check.’

‘Ummm,’ Kotori found herself interrupting, ‘why is _that_ a necessity?’

‘You know,’ Nozomi replied as if it were obvious, ‘so I can have some fun and follow you- I mean, monitor your progress on your date!’

Kotori groaned. Eli gave her sympathetic look.

‘Okay, then!’ Nozomi cheerfully rubbed her hands together. ‘We’ll get you prepared with some last-minute cramming before your date, just like how we teach Nicocchi!’

Kotori folded her arms over her chest. ‘Please tell me that doesn’t mean washi-washi-ing!’

‘First off, we’ll…’ Nozomi trailed off, as she noticed Eli becoming distracted. ‘Is something wrong, Elicchi?’

‘No, it’s just that…’ Eli pointed towards the movie theatre. ‘Isn’t that Umi over there?’

Nozomi and Kotori both looked to where Eli was pointing. Eli was right – in the ticket queue, dressed dashingly with red beret, blue blazer and striped skirt was Umi. It might have just been Kotori’s keen eye, but she also looked a bit nervous for some reason.  

‘Change of plan!’ said a cheerful Nozomi, already dragging both Eli and Kotori along with her as she got in position to shadow Umi with some moves pulled straight out of Metal Gear Solid. The sunglasses really completed the look.

Watching her like a hawk through the crowd, Kotori saw Umi as she walked to the theatre door, took suspicious looks around her surroundings left and right, then disappeared into the darkness beyond.

‘She went into theatre three!’ announced Nozomi.

Eli turned around and scanned the movie listings for the film playing in that theatre. She shook her head. ‘That can’t be right,’ she said. ‘It’s that new French romance movie they’ve been advertising on NicoNico.’

‘Oh, I’ve heard of it!’ Kotori replied with excitement. ‘Amongst other things, it features chin-in-hand kisses and young girl romance! But why would Umi-chan be going to such a movie?’

‘There’s only one way to find out!’ said Nozomi, her voice getting further away from Kotori as she walked towards the ticket counter with money already in hand. ‘Three tickets, please!’

* * *

 

‘I don’t think Umi-chan is enjoying herself.’

To Eli and Kotori, Nozomi was whispering the obvious as they sat together at the back of the movie theatre.

Umi, not so much sitting in her seat as forming into a tightly wound ball on top of it, had her arms huddled around her knees as she watched the movie with a mixture of confusion, genuine interest and a few cringes of terror as the flirting and undertones between the characters built up.

Simply put, it was hilarious to watch.

Definitely more entertaining than the movie, thought Nozomi as she passed the popcorn between them. Clearly, her two companions agreed, their eyes on Umi as they chewed on the slightly too greasy treats.

The three watched her in silence until the movie reached its climax. The teenaged protagonist with long, teal twin-tails leaned towards her pink-haired counterpart, already having her eyes closed and lips waiting for sweet contact.  

That was the exact point where Umi stood up, walked briskly towards the aisle, and covered her ears with her hands while sprinting towards the door.

Kotori watched Umi’s departing figure with disappointment. ‘Umi-chan…’

‘Come on,’ said Nozomi, either not noticing Kotori’s reaction or trying to divert from it. ‘Let’s follow her some more!’

* * *

 

Head thrown back over the top of the white park bench, Umi cut a figure suggesting that they had already seen entirely too much for one day. It wasn’t even noon.

Watching from a distance, Kotori flicked her sunglasses up and tilted her head in confusion. ‘Why is Umi-chan at the park now? By herself?’

‘Maybe she just wanted to watch the birds for a while?’ Eli suggested.

‘Umi-chan!’ Kotori cooed, looking lovestruck.

‘Or,’ Nozomi said with a smirk, ‘she could be meeting up with someone else, like a cute kohai from archery club!’

‘Umi-chan,’ said Kotori, her expression turning darker than her sunglasses.

Eli didn’t need spiritual powers to tell that Kotori’s scowling and fist-balling was not a good thing. ‘It doesn’t look like she’s meeting anyone though!’ she replied cheerfully, clamping a hand over Nozomi’s mouth without Kotori noticing.

‘Oh,’ said Kotori, dark aura fading in an instant.

Eli breathed a sigh of relief before removing her hand from a Nozomi’s mouth. She was kind enough to let her take a gasp of air before yanking her by the ear and angrily whispering to her. ‘Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed after what happened before?’

Nozomi almost looked apologetic for her actions. Almost. The playful glint in her eyes meant otherwise, as Eli knew too well. ‘I know, I know, but I just can’t help teasing people!’ Pausing, she pressed a finger to her chin in thought. ‘I guess that makes me an S?’

‘More like an M for inviting trouble on yourself,’ replied Eli.

‘Hmmm, I guess we’ll just have to figure it out between ourselves later. Could always do with spicing things up in the bedroom-’

‘Nozomi!’ Eli squeaked, cutting Nozomi off as she turned to Kotori instead. ‘Sorry you had to hear all that, Kotori.’ But instead of receiving a reply, Eli was left making a double-take. ‘Wait, Kotori? Where did she go?’

‘Over there?’ said Nozomi pointing over to the bench Umi was sitting on as if it were obvious.

Umi managed to snap herself out of her funk, shaking her head and turning her attention to the people populating the park – in particular, the scores of cute yuri couples exchanging hand-holds and affectionate looks between them on a pleasant, weekend, not-quite-afternoon stroll together. That was enough for Umi’s head to flump downwards again, only looking up to shoot a glare at one couple with the temerity to hold hands as they passed in front of her. The worst part was that they didn’t even notice, with those girls happily swinging their arms together as they exited the park.

Umi sunk down into the park bench once again. ‘I guess I’m still not used to this yet. And I’ve been trying so hard to change…’

Losing herself in thought, she never noticed Kotori’s quiet approach from behind.

‘Umi-chan.’

Umi jumped from the bench before turning around in shock. ‘Kotori?!’

Like the film she had reached earlier, Kotori knew that she had reached the turning point of this story. ‘Umi-chan, I... I’ve wanted to say something to you for a while now.

Umi gave a visible gulp as Kotori drew a deep breath to steady herself, meeting Umi’s nervous eyes with an earnest look.

‘Umi-chan,’ she began. ‘I want to do the things that couples do. I want a future with us being together. I want to be your girlfriend, Umi-chan! Because I’m in love with you!’ Kotori’s sudden rush of bravery faded, as tears glistened in her eyes. ‘Is that shameless of me?’ she asked. ‘To be in love with another girl?’

‘Kotori,’ Umi replied seriously, taking Kotori’s hands within her own. ‘There’s nothing shameless about that. Because… because I love you as well.’

Kotori felt her eyes welling up again – this time out of a disbelieving happiness. ‘‘But… why? I was trying so hard, and you didn’t even notice me…’

‘No, Kotori. I’ve noticed for a while, now - you were more than a childhood friend for a long time. It’s just that I didn’t think I was ready.’

‘Ready for what?’ asked Kotori. ‘A relationship?’

‘Not that, just…’ Umi drew a breath and began to blush. ‘It’s just the k-kissing and all the other things, really. I know it’s what couples do and it’s beautiful and all that but…’ Umi looked down at her lap in embarrassment. ‘That’s why I couldn’t tell you. I want everything to be perfect for you, Kotori-chan. And I’m not. So I tried to work hard and conquer my weaknesses. But… It didn’t go quite so well.’

‘Is that why you walked out of the movie?’ Kotori asked, curiously. ‘Not because they were girls?’

‘Of course not. Wait, you saw that earlier?’

Kotori nodded.

Umi slumped down again with a groan.

Yet even as Umi’s cheeks burnt with mild mortification, Kotori felt upbeat - the memory of burnt sweets and rumpled paper now made her laugh to herself. As it turns out, they had both been guilty of trying too hard for each other.

‘That’s one thing I really like about you, Umi-chan,’ she said. ‘How you’re always trying your best at everything you do.’

She flashed a radiant smile, leaned over close, and flicked at Umi’s forehead with her finger. Umi flinched more from surprise than pain as she looked at Kotori, dumbstruck. ‘But Umi-chan you dummy, this time you were wrong from the start! Because an imperfect Umi-chan is good enough for me. She always was. And she always will be.’

She met Umi’s eyes and her smile turned fond and kind.

‘I love you, Umi-chan.’

‘Kotori…’ Umi whispered. ‘I love you, as well.’

A warm, contented feeling settled between them as they held each other’s hands, and Kotori leant her head against Umi’s shoulder. Kotori almost wished that feeling could last forever.

But wait. Kotori put that thought on hold. Wasn't there still something missing? Something that's in absolutely every romantic story?

‘Um,’ Kotori began, ‘Umi-chan, we’re usually meant to kiss at this point, but…’

‘What?!’ shouted Umi, rather ruining the good atmosphere that had been built to this point. ‘Here?! But that’d be shameless-‘

Umi cut herself off as she heard Kotori already sighing in resignation. She could hear her mental gears grinding against each other in opposite directions, sounding something like this:

> _It's shameless! The number one act of shamelessness in the world! And to top it off you're in public, Umi Sonoda! Don't you dare do it, or I swear you'll spontaneously combust!_
> 
> _But Kotori is the most important thing in the world, and she wants you to kiss her! And her lips look so soft…_
> 
> _But it's shameless!_
> 
> _But it's Kotori!_

Umi made up her mind, psyched herself up, and actually slapped herself quite hard.

‘No, I said that I’d do my best!’

Kotori turned to look at Umi again in bewilderment. It only got more confusing from there for her, as she found Umi now had her eyes closed and her lips pursed, her body trembling a little.

‘Ummm…’ Kotori blinked her eyes several times to make sure her eyes weren’t tricking her. ‘Umi-chan, what are you-‘

‘Hurry up and kiss me, Kotori!’ Umi shouted, now actually drawing stares from some startled passers-by who weren’t paying much attention beforehand, which might have mortified Umi if she had known. Thankfully her eyes remained well shut instead, as she remained leaned halfway towards Kotori. ‘I-I really can’t take much more of this.’

‘Umi-chan,’ Kotori said kindly, ‘you don’t have to push yourself.’

‘It’s okay.’ Umi's words were finally becoming calm and settled. ‘I want to do this.’

Kotori still took some time before deciding. ‘Well… if you’re sure.’

She began to lean in, stopped herself, then smiled. Umi was just too cute to not spend a few more seconds teasing. Finally becoming satisfied, Kotori giggled, placed gentle hands to Umi’s shoulders, and leant in the rest of the way when Umi relaxed in her grasp.

Umi’s lips were softer than macarons, as they parted softly from Kotori’s own. And okay, there may have been a bit of tongue involved as well.

Kotori finally broke the kiss and smiled. ‘How was it, Umi-chan?’ she asked, peering at Umi intently.

‘Kotori…’ Umi whispered as her eyelids fluttered open, looking a little dazed. ‘It wasn’t bad, actually.’

‘So then,’ Kotori began, hopeful lilt in her voice, ‘we can do it some more?’

Umi’s reply was curt. ‘Absolutely not.’

‘Aww,’ said Kotori, her head dropping sadly.

Seeing Kotori’s disappointment made Umi give a quick reply. ‘No, I mean, I’d like to get some more practice first. In private, preferably?’

‘Aww!’ shouted Kotori, glomping onto Umi in a bear-hug. ‘Umi-chan! I love you so, so much!’

‘K-Kotori!’ wheezed Umi, sounding short on oxygen from Kotori’s constricting show of skinship, ‘I just said _in private_!’

A discreet few benches away, Nozomi beamed to herself as she passed her phone to Eli. ‘I think I captured the moment best with this picture.’

Eli took one glance and gave a smile of instant approval. ‘Good job. Come on, I’ll treat you to something.’ This time it was Eli taking Nozomi by the hand as they snuck away unnoticed, to grab a round of victory parfaits. Truly the best kind.

‘Oh, I almost forgot,’ said Umi, having wriggled out of Kotori’s very public display of affection. Was it just Kotori, or did Umi have a different, non-shamelessness related kind of blush? Maybe it was the hug? ‘I liked your haiku, by the way. It was really sweet, Kotori.’

‘What do you mean?’ Kotori asked, genuinely confused.

As it turns out, written on one of the pages that Eli retrieved from the classroom’s wastebasket was a haiku Kotori forgot about writing. Umi, who Kotori noted was _definitely_ blushing now, quietly handed over an uncrumpled piece of paper for Kotori to read.

> _Always beside me_
> 
> _Like a seagull needs the sea_
> 
> _This bird needs Umi._

**Author's Note:**

> Wow this took a while. And there's three more to go?! Maybe even four?! And I'm writing something different for Nico's birthday?! And university is killing me?!
> 
> All for the waifus, I guess.
> 
> Feel free to comment and criticise, constructive or otherwise!


End file.
